Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-10-12
THE DEADLY CAR STOVE AGAIN,
Charged with Most Of the Loss OF Life M
koufs-A Doctor Who Thinks Thirty
Persons Perished-Careless RailrOad
EmplOyes Primarily RcspOusible.

| k0ufs-A Doctor Who Thinks Thirty
Persons Pcrishcd-CareIess RailrOad
EmpiOyes Primarily Responsible.
The details OF the disaster at Kouts Ind. on the
| Chicago and Atlantic Road. which were withheld
as long as possible by the railroad oicials are OF
| most sickening character and tend TO show that
the terrible responsibility for the holocaust rests
on the careless railroad employees. 1t is not yet
| clear how many lives were lost In the wreck. the
estimates varying from ten to thirty, though from
| the stories OF passengers It seems PROBABLE that
the list CT the dead Will cover nearer the latter
than the former figure.
| The express train which was telescoped left
Chicago at 7:45 p. m. Monday. It was heavily
loeded with passengers The engineer OF the
lows: ave passed No. 40 Uhe freight) at Boone
Grove on time and started toward kouts No. 40
pulled out OF the station In less than two minutes
behind US, when they should have waited much
longer. When we were well away from the town
we could see her lights but a little way behind
was on one siis-' We had broken an eccentric
strap, and We're running but one pair OF wheels
having been forced TO dsconnect the other pair OF
wheels, which were running loose. OF course the
accident hel1 US back little, but we had no idea
that the engineer OF No. 40 would have any diff
Guilty In keeping on from our heels. The last time
looked behind there was ample room between us
We stopped 1T the Boone Grove water tank and
were there almost minute before they struck Us. !"
sENsPHoKE THAT PROVED USELESS.
Passenger train, stopped at the water station he
threw up the semaphore lamp nearly half a mile
In his rear. This was TO warn the freight that the
express train had stopped for water. He had not
been at the tank more than two minutes when he
heard the freight laundering behind. The grade
at this point Is very Steep and with slippery rails
heavy train runs at furious rate. IL was too
late 10 warn the train which was sweeping at q
tremendous speed. Engineer Dorsey, OF the
freight, h-d failed TO see the big red semaphore
light and his locomotive tore through the Jog and
The n
Before the collision occurred Dorsey and his fire-
man saw the lamps burning on the doomed ex-
aster. The two men leaped from their cab, and
tnen the crash came. The engine OF the freight
works dropped on in the center OF the coach. The
conclusion drove the second heavy sleeper into
the day coach. which was reduced to splinters.
thus wrecked. The ends OF each coach were
broken like eggshells. The cars OF the freight
train were hurried In every direction The upper
works OF the engine were torn away, the tender
thrown across tine track, and pied up for twenty
rods ABOUT the prairie were hundreds OF pounds OF
meat
AN IMPROVED HEATER As BAD AS THE OLD CAR STOVE.
There were Baker improved heaters on the ex-
press train, but, Notwithstanding this supposed
Improvement over the deadly stove, the Goals in
the heater quickly set fire to the upholstery the
rear Pullman, and in i've minutes flame, which at
nrst was scarcely larger than Il Ribbon spread into
brisk blaze and soon Cnveloped the shattered
coaches AM their screaming occupants.
THINKS FULLY THIRTY Persisted.
DR.. W. III. Mckee, OF Kouts, who was one OF the
first at the scene OF the wreck, said yesterday
that to the best OF his knowledge It We Id not be
overstating the facts to say that the collision had
cost the lives OF fully thirty people. 1t was
shortly after O'Clock this morning. when he
reached the wreck, and he Immediately began TO
give his services TO the wounded. Those who were
badly hurt when the crash came, lie says must
have had little chance Tor their lives, so quickly
had the cars taken fire and so thorough was the
work OF the flames AS an illustration OF the de-
struction and the difficulty OF arriving at correct
Idea or It's magnitude, the doctor said that proba
bly, not soul would have been made aware or the
all but total wiping out OF the Miller family OF six
had not their boy been saved.
NAMES OF THE KILLED.
DR.. Mckee stated that only nine bodies had been
recovered, and they were so badly charred as to
be almost beyond recognition, the most left OF any
OF them being blackened trunk, and in some
cases little beyond few handouts OF ashes. The
nine were as follows: The Miller family, OF Dun
dee father, mother, two brothers, and girl Uher
fOurteen-year-Old boy, Herman, will probably die
alSol; Dr. Perry OF North Judson, Ind; DR.. Perrys
vile, ID; Perry's daughter, aged eleven; young
Irish lady.
superintendent Parsons, OF the Chicago and
Atlantic, was seen late In the afternoon. lie was
very sure that no more bodies could be found
under the wreck. Only nine persons had been
killed, he declared, and not more than eleven or
twelve hurt, none OF the latter seriously. He ad-
United that no nagman had been sent back from
the passenger tram when a stop was made. Mr.
Parsons said that the Irainmen depended upon a
semaphore light fully 1000 feet in the rear OF
where the stop was made. The conductor or the
train had pulled the cord for this light when he
stepped from his train. This would throw the
glare OF a red danger signal on the track. The
night, however, was Ioggy, and the engineer or
the fast freight must have Jailed TO see the signal
Superintendent Parsons thought the accident
would nave been very ordinary one had not the
stove In the sleeper upset. That caused the de-
structiOn OF the sleeper, Two coaches and baggage
car, and In the main was doubtless the cause or
the loss OF life.
GAS AIDED THE SPREAD OF THE FLAMES
Among the wounded who were still ut Kouts
yesterday afternoon was Joe McCool bartender,
OF Boston, who may recover. He said: 81 was In
the passenger coach which was next to the last
Car IN the train. just before midnight / went
Into the smoker, which was just ahead OF our car
dnu cAatteu Tor an hOuT, anu came back 10 the
coach with young man who sat down near me-
That Is the last I've seen or expect TO see or the
poor fellow just a5 mad stretched my self out TO
go TO sieep and almost before i closed ny eyes
there Was an awful crash, which, God help me, /
never want 10 lear again. 1 could Ieel myself
thrown Violently toward the top OI the car, and
then became lnsensioe. ON the way up realized
that all Was Confusion In the Car, that canes va
Uses rods Of iron ana lamps were In the air about
me. mus have regdlned my consciousness In d
very short time, lor wnen awoke ali was dark
ness In the car and horrible shrleks and piercing
walls OF agony almost dedIened my ears. In the
end OF the car fartnest from me The stove was
overturned and tue flames were Just starting TO
spread with magic rapidity. There was some sort
OF a new Gas lamp In the car, with reservoirs
reaching from one TO the other. The flames
leaped up the sides, and In less time than Can
tine coach over our heads. l was wedged in be-
tween two seats, where couldn't move a limb OF
my body, and there watched the fire slowly creep
upon me. IL was terrible sight.
in Tue eud oil Inc cOaCu near me fire could see
q Lady caught between the seats as was. Tine IRE
SLOW ~ crept acro,Si"s car; she soon enveoped
In nAns, aud tAeli agony she burned before my
eyes just across from my seat noticed soUn be-
fore the accident u father, his vile and daughter
l saw them, also, crushed Together anu burned
j lust as the naneS were blazing loot or two away
IrOIn me man pulled ue into The aisle ana said:
Come 10 tue window. he must have ui,-
taken me Tor some one else, for the moment lie
had looked closely at my face he dropped me and
hurried Inroush the window with an exclamation
or evident disappointment. l then painfully
crawied after hlm la safety"
one or the Passengers who escaped injury, a
gentleman from Taunton, Mass, who reached
Chicago yesterday, said that he sitting In the
nrsI car or the wrecked Train when the freight
struck IL. "Ihe irst knew" said he Il heard a
lSnIIul crash, anJ the Car seemed shattered and
Tale pieces were nylAg past Inc. The next knew
1 found myself almost buried In the ruins, ana
they seemed 10 Keep piing up. tried TO extricate
myself, anu found was near "A window, IL Was
all dark, and all around me were yels and groans
and lie olackneSS made IL fearful didut seem
10 De hurt beyond being shaken up, SO called for
help out OF the window. some man, dolL know
VINO, helped Inc out, and i then turned In and
helped 10 get OlheIS out. A niJe after goI out
though, the wuUie thing took nre, and we were
forced 10 give up WORKING on II, by Dit and let
IL burn, With the horrible those held Inside
IN or ears. AT one place there were two or three
women, apparently all together, and we tried 70
get them out. They were shreking all the Time
In manner 10 freeze ones boot, Tor the fire WAS
II ~ To all 81